It wouldn’t be an Eddie Alvarez fight if he didn’t get dropped, and in the headliner of Bellator 76, the ex-champ didn’t disappoint.

Alvarez hurt Patricky “Pitbull” Freire early in the first only to get rocked seconds later with a burst of punches on Friday at Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

But in the end, Alvarez ended his Bellator contract with a bang, capping off a night of tournament action that saw Rad Martinez, Wagnney Fabiano, Mike Richman and Shahbulat Shamhalaev advance in the Season 7 featherweight competition.

Bellator 76’s main card aired on MTV2 following preliminary-card matches on Spike.com.

Resetting after the near-disaster, Alvarez caught Freire leaning to his left and threw a high kick that knocked the Brazilian out. Precision punches followed as Freire toppled to the mat. Referee “Big” John McCarthy called a halt to the bout at the 4:54 mark of the first frame.

“It happens to me every fight,” said Alvarez of the punches that nearly put him out. “My boxing trainer, we work on it and work on it. It’s just something I’m learning to deal with and embrace it rather than try to resist it.”

Alvarez, who this past November lost his title to Michael Chandler, now moves into free agency with another highlight-reel knockout to his credit. UFC President Dana White already has expressed interest in the Philadelphia-born lightweight, who now makes his home with the Blackzilians in South Florida.

But Alvarez wasn’t in the mood to talk about his future career.

“It’s just another win, that’s all it is,” he said. “The goal never changes. It’s always to beat the guy in front of you in the cage. No legacies, no money – it’s all b—s–t. It’s about beating the guy in front of you, and that’s what I’m here for.”

Alvarez (24-3 MMA, 9-1 BFC) is now 2-0 since his title setback while Freire (10-4 MMA, 3-3 BFC) drops to 1-3 in his past four outings.

Martinez successful in first Bellator tournament appearance

Judges said Rad Martinez won every round against Nazareno Malegarie, and yet the fighter shook his afterward.

“I’m feeling a little bit roughed up,” he said.

Martinez, who made his first Bellator tournament appearance, had to earn every point in the highly competitive fight, which left both men exhausted.

From the outset, Martinez looked to strike from the inside while Malegarie worked kicks on the outside. When the two clashed and it appeared as though Malegarie could go for a guillotine choke, he instead reset.

Malagarie found success using the clinch to stop the advance of Martinez, but he was dropped by a stiff left hand as he disengaged. Another big left hand scored for Martinez before he secured a takedown to seal the round.

Malagarie switched things up by shooting for a takedown early in the second, but Martinez blocked his attempt and secured a clinch. With the American unable to take the fight down, Malagarie pressed with faster punches that repeatedly scored.

By the third round, Martinez was running on fumes as Malagarie appeared the fresher man. His takedown was quickly reversed, and Malagarie scored with a stiff right hand. But yet again, the Argentinian was caught in transition with a left hand and badly wobbled. Martinez couldn’t secure the finish, but with a last-minute takedown left an impression with judges.

“This tournament is the toughest in the world,” he said. “If you win and you make it to the champion, you’ve definitely earned it.”

Martinez (13-2 MMA, 3-0 BFC) earns his fourth consecutive win while Malagarie (22-3 MMA, 1-4 BFC) sees a second tournament opportunity dashed after a loss to Marlon Sandro in the season 4 competition.

Fabiano’s persistence pays off with first-round sub

In his first appearance since a submission loss to Joseph Benavidez nearly two years in the now-defunct WEC, Wagnney Fabiano didn’t miss a step against Akop Stepanyan.

The Brazilian submission specialist persisted with takedown attempts until he put the fight on the mat, and it wasn’t long before he secured a joint-popping submission.

Stepanyan hardly had time to defend himself as Fabiano took mount and transitioned to an armbar. The Armenian fighter at first refused to tap, but tapped after several gruesome twists of his arm and a full hyperextension. The official time of the stoppage came at the 3:24 mark of the first.

“I want this title shot,” Fabiano said afterward.

Prior to the setback, Stepanyan (12-4 MMA, 0-1 BFC) had won 12 straight fighting on the regional circuit in Russia. Fabiano (15-3 MMA, 1-0 BFC), who ended his WEC tenure with a 4-2 record, gets back to the winner’s circle.

Richman wows with head-kick KO

In his first tournament appearance for Bellator, Mike Richman delivered another highlight-reel performance.

A picture-perfect head kick sent Jeremy Spoon crashing to the mat 23 seconds into his meeting with the former Marine, who now moves on to the semifinals of the season 7 featherweight tournament.

Richman announced his intention to focus on his boxing game in opposition to grappling specialist Spoon. For the first few moments, the two pawed at each other with strikes, and Spoon’s aggression telegraphed a possible push to the cage.

But before he could do that, a high kick had knocked him upside the head and sent him stiff to the mat. A perfectly placed left hand further removed him from consciousness, and referee “Big” John McCarthy stepped in to stop further damage.

“One of my specialties is lolling people into a boxing match, and then I’ve got a pretty sneaky high kick,” Richman said. “We worked on that a lot, and I looked to set it up right away.”

Richman (13-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC) now boasts a four-fight win streak with three stoppages. Spoon (12-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC), meanwhile, has now fallen short in his second straight Bellator tourney following a loss to season 6 champ Daniel Straus.

Shamhalaev pounds out Bollinger

Shahbulat Shamhalaev may have earned recognition for his kickboxing pedigree, but he bested Cody Bollinger with an impressive ground and attack.

Cody Bollinger hardly used the wrestling he claimed would sweep the featherweight tournament and spent most of the fight on his back, where he took a flurry of punches that forced a stoppage at the 4:49 mark of the first round.

After tumbling to the mat on a caught kick, Bollinger attempted to tie Shamhalaev up with rubber guard and managed to get into position to use the rarely-seen gogoplata. But Shamhalaev recovered position and began to dole out harder and harder punches.

Bollinger, who bled generously as the result of an early glancing kick that sliced his face, did little but defend himself from the punches, which came down with increasing severity. He several times adjusted position, but didn’t do enough to appease the referee.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.